Improvement in gas-regulators



LLO L: OTT R.

Gas Regulator.

Patented March 1 5,

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' UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES C. LLOYD, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AND ROBERT M. POTTER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN GAS-REGU LATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1 L930, dated March 15, 1864.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, CHARLES G.-LL0YD, of the city and county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, and R. M. POTTER,Of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gas-Regulators; and we do hereby declare that-the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, said drawing representing a central vertical section of the regulator.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is an upright hollow cylinder, which constitutes the outer casing of the regulator, having the inlet-opening a in the center of its bottom, and the outlet-opening b in its top. The inlet-opening is made with a nozzle, 0, for the connection of the supply-pipe, and is fitted with a tube, 0, which extends upward about two-thirds of the way to the top of the casing A. The outlet-opening is simply furnished with a nozzle, 0, for the connection of the pipe, which conveys the gas to the burners. The upper end of the tube 0 constitutes the seat for the regulating-valve B, which is in the form of an inverted cone. V

Within the casing A there is arranged a second hollow cylinder, 1), which is connected in a gas-tight manner with the top of the casing, and which either does not extend quite to the bottom of the casing or has a series of holes, d d, in its lower part to form a communication between its interior and the annular space or chamber E, formed between it and the outer casing.

The valve B is attached by an open bridgepiece or cross-head, e, to the upper part of an annular float, F, which is arranged in the annular space L, between the tube G and cylinder D.

G is an opening in the top of the annular chamber E, which is formed between the cylinder D and the casing for theintroduction of the liquid which supports the float. This opening is closed by a gas-tight cap or stopper, H, after the insertion of the liquid. J is a hole in one side of the casing, for the overflow of the liquid when a suitable quantity has been poured in, said opening being closed by a tight stopper, K, after a suitable quantity of liquid has been poured in. The liquid rises to the same height in the annular space L as in the chamber E in filling, and remains at the same level while the regulator is not in operation. The annular space L forms a portion of the same chamber with the space L above the float F. f is a very small hole-say of the area of one fifteen hundredth of a square inch in the upper part of the casing A, which always forms a communication between the chamber E and the atmosphere.

The liquid employed in the regulator may be oil, glycerine, or any other which will not evaporate readily or be absorbed by the gas or corrode the metal of which the parts are constructed, and whose specific gravity is not (like that of quicksilver, for instance,) too great to permit its being easily forced by the pressure of the gas from the chamber L into the chamber E.

The operation of the regulator is as follows: When the gas is admitted at the inlet-opening a, it rises into the space L, and enters the upper portion of the space L not occupied by the float and the liquid, and its pressure on the upper surface of the liquid in the space L forces out a portion of the said liquid into the chamber E, in which the level of the liquid is thereby raised to counterbalance the said pressure, and as the level gets lower in L the float descends, and by carrying the valve down with it, reduces the opening between the valve and seat. An increase of pressure in the chamber L L, owing to increased pressure on the main, or the shutting 011' of some of the burners, causes thelevel of the liquid in L to be reduced, and, by causing the descent of the float and valve, reduces the opening between the valve and seat, and instantly reduces the pressure on the. burners, and a reduction of the pressure in the said chamber L L, owing to the reduction of pressure on the main or by the opening of more burners, produces an opposite effect, and hence the pressure on the burners is regulated.

This operation it will be observed is produced by the pressure of the gas upon the liquid and not by the pressure on the float, as in regulators in which an inverted cup is used as the float.

respect the operation of the float is the reverse of that in most regulators.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination of the two concentric chamhers E L, communicating at bottom through contracted apertures d d, the centralisupplypipe, C, rising vertically within the chamber L, the annular float F, bridge a, conical valve B, small air-hole fin chamber E, and dischargeaperture 11 in the upper part of the chamber L, when the said parts are constructed and arranged and operate as herein specified.

CHAS. G. LLOYD. ROBERT M. POTTER.

Witnesses M. M. LIVINGSTON, GEo. W. REED. 

